Article
Who Was at Jesus' Baptism?
Who baptized Jesus, who was at the Jordan, and why the sinless Jesus was baptized, from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, with the Catechism and an Orthodox essay.
Part of Common Arguments: Who Was at Jesus’ Baptism · Who Baptized Jesus
On This Page
John baptized Jesus in the Jordan. The Spirit descended like a dove, and a voice from heaven called Jesus the beloved Son. Matthew 3:13–173:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
3:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Matthew 3:13–17 · King James VersionOpen source (1), Mark 1:9–111:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
1:10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
1:11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Mark 1:9–11 · King James VersionOpen source (2), and Luke 3:21–223:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
Luke 3:21–22 · King James VersionOpen source (3) narrate that moment. John 1:32–341:32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
1:33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
1:34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
John 1:32–34 · King James VersionOpen source (4) is John’s own report that he saw the Spirit remain on Jesus and that this is the Son of God.
Key Points
- Matthew 3:13
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
Matthew 3:13 · King James VersionOpen source (1) says Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. Mark 1:9And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
Mark 1:9 · King James VersionOpen source (2) says he came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. - John tried to prevent it. Matthew 3:14
But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
Matthew 3:14 · King James VersionOpen source (1) has John say that he needed to be baptized by Jesus, not the other way around. Jesus answered that it should be allowed for now, to fulfil all righteousness, and then John baptized him. - Matthew 3:16–17
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Matthew 3:16 · King James VersionOpen source (1) says that as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens opened, he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him, and a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” - Luke 3:21–22
Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
Luke 3:21 · King James VersionOpen source (3) places the baptism when all the people were baptized. Jesus also was baptized and was praying. The Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove, and the voice said, “Thou art my beloved Son.” - John 1:28–341:28
These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
1:29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
1:30This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
1:31And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
1:32And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
1:33And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
1:34And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
John 1:28–34 · King James VersionOpen source (4) locates John’s baptizing at Bethabara beyond Jordan. The next day John calls Jesus the Lamb of God. John says he saw the Spirit descend and remain, and he bears record that this is the Son of God. - Catechism 1224 (5) says Jesus voluntarily submitted to a baptism intended for sinners, to fulfil all righteousness, and that the Spirit descended and the Father revealed him as the beloved Son.
- The Orthodox Church in America essay (6) says Christ was baptized by John not because he was sinful and needed to repent, but to show that he was God’s beloved Son, the Saviour and Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes the sins of the world on himself. The essay is not a synod.
Who Baptized Jesus?
John did. Matthew 3:13Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
Matthew 3:13 · King James VersionOpen source (1) says Jesus came “to be baptized of him,” and the “him” is John the Baptist, who has been preaching and baptizing in the preceding verses. Mark 1:9And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
Mark 1:9 · King James VersionOpen source (2) says Jesus “was baptized of John in Jordan.” Luke 3:21Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
Luke 3:21 · King James VersionOpen source (3) says Jesus also was baptized, after the notice that all the people were baptized, in the chapter that has been about John’s baptism. John 1:33And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
John 1:33 · King James VersionOpen source (4) has John say that the one who sent him to baptize with water told him the person on whom he saw the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 3:14–153:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Matthew 3:14–15 · King James VersionOpen source (1) is the only Gospel that prints the exchange before the water. John forbids Jesus. Jesus tells him to allow it now, because it becometh them to fulfil all righteousness. Then John suffers him, and the baptism happens.
Who Was Present?
The four accounts name Jesus, John, the Spirit, and the voice from heaven. They do not print a roll of other named witnesses standing in the water with them.
Matthew 3:16And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Matthew 3:16 · King James VersionOpen source (1) says Jesus saw the Spirit descending like a dove. Mark 1:10And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
Mark 1:10 · King James VersionOpen source (2) also says he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit like a dove. Luke 3:22And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
Luke 3:22 · King James VersionOpen source (3) says the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove, and a voice came from heaven. Matthew 3:17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Matthew 3:17 · King James VersionOpen source (1) addresses the Son in the third person. Mark 1:11And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Mark 1:11 · King James VersionOpen source (2) and Luke 3:22And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
Luke 3:22 · King James VersionOpen source address him as “thou.” The key point above quotes Matthew’s line.
Luke 3:21Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
Luke 3:21 · King James VersionOpen source (3) times the event: “when all the people were baptized,” Jesus also was baptized and was praying, and the heaven was opened. Mark 1:5And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
Mark 1:5 · King James VersionOpen source (2) says that before Jesus came, people from Judaea and Jerusalem were baptized by John in the Jordan, confessing their sins. The verse does not say those crowds were still on the bank at Mark 1:10And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
Mark 1:10 · King James VersionOpen source.
John 1:29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John 1:29 · King James VersionOpen source (4) is “the next day.” John sees Jesus coming and calls him the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. John 1:32And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
John 1:32 · King James VersionOpen source (4) is John bearing record of what he saw: the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and abiding on him. That is John’s testimony, not a second baptism.
The Trinity is the confession that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one God. Is the Holy Spirit God? is the Spirit named in this scene. The baptism narrative is one place the Gospels put the Son in the water, the Spirit descending, and the Father’s voice from heaven. Catechism 1224 (5) reads it that way: the Spirit who had hovered over the waters of the first creation descended on Christ as a prelude of the new creation, and the Father revealed Jesus as his beloved Son.
Where Was Jesus Baptized?
Matthew 3:13Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
Matthew 3:13 · King James VersionOpen source (1) says Jesus came to Jordan. Mark 1:9And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
Mark 1:9 · King James VersionOpen source (2) says he was baptized in Jordan. John 1:28These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
John 1:28 · King James VersionOpen source (4), in the King James text on this site, says these things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The page does not add a second place-name the King James line does not print.
Why Was Jesus Baptized If He Was Without Sin?
Matthew 3:14But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
Matthew 3:14 · King James VersionOpen source (1) is John’s objection: John needs to be baptized by Jesus. The Gospels do not say Jesus came confessing sins. Mark 1:4–51:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
1:5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
Mark 1:4–5 · King James VersionOpen source (2) says John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, and that the people confessed their sins. Jesus’ own line in Matthew 3:15And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Matthew 3:15 · King James VersionOpen source (1) is that this baptism fulfils all righteousness.
Catechism 1223 (5) says Jesus begins his public life after having himself been baptized by John in the Jordan. 1224 (5) then says:
Our Lord voluntarily submitted himself to the baptism of St. John, intended for sinners, in order to “fulfill all righteousness.” Jesus’ gesture is a manifestation of his self-emptying. The Spirit who had hovered over the waters of the first creation descended then on the Christ as a prelude of the new creation, and the Father revealed Jesus as his “beloved Son.”
The OCA essay (6) says Christ was baptized by John “not because he was sinful and needed to repent,” but because in being baptized he showed that he was God’s beloved Son, the Saviour and Messiah, “the Lamb of God who takes upon himself the sins of the world.” It points to Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, and John 1–3. What Does the Eastern Orthodox Church Believe? is the wider confession. What Do Catholics Believe? is the Catholic side beyond this paragraph.
Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation? is a later church argument about the water and salvation. The narratives here are about Jesus’ own baptism, before that argument.
Did John the Baptist Doubt Jesus?
Not in the baptism scene. There John recognizes that Jesus should baptize him. Later, Matthew 11:2–311:2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
11:3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
Matthew 11:2–3 · King James VersionOpen source (7) says John, in prison, heard the works of Christ and sent two disciples to ask whether Jesus is the one who should come, or whether they should look for another. Luke 7:19And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
Luke 7:19 · King James VersionOpen source (8) says the same question, sent by John from where his disciples had reported Jesus’ works. Jesus tells them to report what they have seen and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. The texts ask the question. They do not add a sentence that explains John’s state of mind beyond the question itself.
What Did John Eat?
Mark 1:6And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;
Mark 1:6 · King James VersionOpen source (2) says John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a girdle of skin about his loins, and that he ate locusts and wild honey. Matthew 3:4And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
Matthew 3:4 · King James VersionOpen source says the same clothing and the same food. That is the description of John in the wilderness, in the chapter of the baptism, not a detail of the moment Jesus came up out of the water.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Was at Jesus’ Baptism?
Jesus, John, the Spirit descending like a dove, and the voice from heaven that calls Jesus the beloved Son. Luke adds that this was when all the people were baptized, and that Jesus was praying. John’s Gospel records John’s testimony that he saw the Spirit remain on Jesus.
Who Baptized Jesus?
John the Baptist, in the Jordan, after objecting and then allowing it, in Matthew’s account.
Why Was the Sinless Jesus Baptized?
Jesus’ line in Matthew is that it fulfils all righteousness. The Catechism says he submitted to a baptism intended for sinners, as a manifestation of his self-emptying, and that the Spirit descended and the Father named him. The OCA essay says it was not because he needed to repent.
The Churches on This Site
References
- Gospel of Matthew, 3:13–173:13
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
3:14But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
3:15And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
3:16And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
3:17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Matthew 3:13–17 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version - Gospel of Mark, 1:9–111:9
And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
1:10And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
1:11And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Mark 1:9–11 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version - Gospel of Luke, 3:21–223:21
Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
3:22And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
Luke 3:21–22 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version - Gospel of John, 1:29–341:29
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
1:30This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
1:31And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
1:32And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
1:33And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
1:34And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
John 1:29–34 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version - Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1223 (Paragraph 1224 is on this page. Footnote markers were omitted from the quotation.)
- Baptism (The Orthodox Faith, by Fr. Thomas Hopko, on the Orthodox Church in America website. A catechetical essay, not a synodal definition.)
- Gospel of Matthew, 11:2–311:2
Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
11:3And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
Matthew 11:2–3 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version - Gospel of Luke, 7:19
And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
Luke 7:19 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version
See Also
- Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation? — Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed, Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal texts on whether baptism is necessary for salvation, with Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16, 1 Peter 3:21, and the thief on the cross.
- Is the Holy Spirit God? — The Nicene confession that the Holy Spirit is God, in Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed, Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal texts, and what those texts say about praying to the Spirit.
- What Does the Bible Say About Infant Baptism? — Infant baptism and believer’s baptism in Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, and Pentecostal texts, with household baptisms and christening.
- What Happened at the Council of Nicaea? — In 325 the bishops at Nicaea confessed the Son as true God from true God, of one substance with the Father, and anathematized the claim that there was a time when he was not. They also issued twenty disciplinary canons. They did not publish a list of biblical books.
- Is Jesus God? — Yes. Jesus is truly God and truly human. Where Jesus claimed to be God is this page: he forgave sins, applied God’s name and honor to himself, and received Thomas’s confession that he is Lord and God.